jjab360
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Mark Barron: “The Guys in This Locker Room Made It Easy for Me
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rams24/7
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I was thinking the same thing, thinking we will be starting a trend especially if our D steps up even more this year. I like that name 'Big Nickel'. Did you give it that name?
Legatron4
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Big Nickel is a defensive package. It's when instead of a CB playing your nickel spot, you bring down a safety in the box and keep your other safety up top. So in our case it would be Jenkins and Johnson playing outside, McDonald playing single high safety while Barron comes down to the line off his originally safety spot to cover one of the slots. I'm sure @Blue and Gold could explain it much better then me.
Greg Stone
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Yeah that worked out really well with Ray Ray
Ray Ray's problems were all above his neck.
iBruce
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ramfan46
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I did not come up with that term. I saw it used on RRF I believe.
Big Nickel is actually taking the 3rd LB from a base 4-3 and replacing him with Barron. So you still have a 4-2-5 with a S instead of CB of traditional Nickel packages. McLeod will play FS, MacDonald SS and Barron will play Spur I believe it's called if I remember one of Jrry's post correctly. Gives the D great flexibility to be able to still stop the run and match up well against TEs in passing plays. Also allows Williams to be very creative with giving different looks and blitzes. I look forward to seeing Barron get after the QB in 15. He appears to be a solid blitzer.
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I see Alexander as part of a nice pipeline the Rams have going now with big, athletic safeties. Not sure how having him behind three other safeties is a bad thing. The competition is great for the team and will set this defense up to be the envy of many in the league. In the meantime, he's gonna be a beast on special teams which is important too.
Williams is great at teaching and utilizing talent. Fish and Snead have given him the pieces he needs to field a flexible and fast defense and they have depth too. I don't know what they really think about LB, but I suspect the way the league is going on offense that Fish and Williams have cooked up an approach that will allow them to match up with both passing and running teams. If they succeed, we're going to be reading in the future about how they have changed the equation in modern defense. Of course if they don't succeed we'll be reading about the Rams' next head coach but I don't see it coming to that. I think this defense is gonna kill it from the first game next season.
Blue and Gold
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You got it right, it's a personnel package, but all the things about where who lines up where is not tied to it, those are calls. But Big Nickle, as you said is raplacing a Lber with a Safety (usually a strong staety-type who can tackle and can fill a gap), rather than a cornerback.
With that personnel the defense can play a regular 4-3 defense but the big nickle plays in place of the weak Lber. In 1993 Fritz Shurmer used it more often than his base because his extra safety was better than his third linebacker. But the Cards would take out an extra linbacker when they went to coverage and they would have one LBer and 3 S and 3 CBs---it was a nickle defense played with dime personel.
The Rams did it too under Spags. Dahl would align as a LBer. What Sapgs called his Nickle was 5 DBs and 2 Lbers and the 4 best pass rushers, often they'd have 4 DEs. Now, to make it confusing, one of the Lbers was Dahl. So, it was 6 DBs with one playing as LBer.
Now, the Rams also played a Big Nickle on 1st and 2nd down sometimes, they called it "Buffalo". They used in one 1st and 2nd down versus 3 WRs. but they kept the big DTs in the game for that.
I will try and get some stills of Rams using Buffalo (Big Nickle) and their Nickle . . .
Blue and Gold
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This defense is often referred to as the "Big Nickel." It was perfected by the late, great Fritz Shurmur. Thanks to his mercurial brain, the Big Nickel became a front that could stifle a running game and outwit quarterbacks.
As Jene Bramel, writing for The New York Times' N.F.L. Blog, The Fifth Down, pointed out:
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, another defensive guru, FritzShurmur, devised the “Big Nickel” (a k a “Wolverine”) 4-2-5 defense.Shurmur used the scheme to great success against the juggernaut 49ers, but often used it as a base defense in later years when his linebackers were beset by injury. The Big Nickel allowed Shurmur to get an extra safety-linebacker hybrid into the lineup. Depending on his personnel, he could cover and pass-rush with the secondary personnel, but still support the run, all while disguising which coverage his defense would play.
Shurmur used the scheme to help the Packers win a Super Bowl in 1996. The Big Nickel challenges an offense to identify the potential roles of all three safeties.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
The late Fritz Shurmur was a true innovator of the nickel defense.
Swapping a nickelback for a safety keeps this five-defensive back front strong against the run. Any one of the safeties could be used to outnumber a receiver in coverage or supplement the blitz.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...t-breaking-down-the-modern-nfls-go-to-defense
As Jene Bramel, writing for The New York Times' N.F.L. Blog, The Fifth Down, pointed out:
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, another defensive guru, FritzShurmur, devised the “Big Nickel” (a k a “Wolverine”) 4-2-5 defense.Shurmur used the scheme to great success against the juggernaut 49ers, but often used it as a base defense in later years when his linebackers were beset by injury. The Big Nickel allowed Shurmur to get an extra safety-linebacker hybrid into the lineup. Depending on his personnel, he could cover and pass-rush with the secondary personnel, but still support the run, all while disguising which coverage his defense would play.
Shurmur used the scheme to help the Packers win a Super Bowl in 1996. The Big Nickel challenges an offense to identify the potential roles of all three safeties.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
The late Fritz Shurmur was a true innovator of the nickel defense.
Swapping a nickelback for a safety keeps this five-defensive back front strong against the run. Any one of the safeties could be used to outnumber a receiver in coverage or supplement the blitz.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...t-breaking-down-the-modern-nfls-go-to-defense
Blue and Gold
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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...kage-emerging-as-nfls-hottest-defensive-trend
The best defensive coordinators in the NFL are willing to step outside of the box to develop effective strategies for defending the hottest offensive trends. From crafting exotic zone-blitz schemes to using a variety of unique personnel packages to neutralize the opponent's No. 1 weapon, astute defensive play-callers aren't afraid to deploy unorthodox tactics to put their teams in the best position to win.
During my time as a defensive back with the Green Bay Packers, I had the opportunity to watch defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur work his magic on the blackboard each week, designing clever schemes to slow down the opponent. One of the ideas that he used to help the Packers field the NFL's top-ranked defense in 1996 was a unique nickel defense that featured three safeties (Eugene Robinson, Mike Prior and LeRoy Butler) on the field simultaneously. Although it wasn't unusual to use five defensive backs on obvious passing downs, Shurmur's willingness to play Butler -- Green Bay's starting strong safety -- as a nickel back allowed him to deploy his best defensive back in coverage on tight ends and slot receivers, while also using him on blitzes off the edge. The strategy helped the '96Packers hold opponents to just 13.1 points per game and total 26 interceptions against only 12 touchdown passes allowed.
Fast forward to 2014. Defensive coordinators searching for effective solutions against the spread-formation run game and the hybrid tight ends dominating the NFL are resorting to big nickel tactics that mimic Shurmur's ingenious scheme from the mid-'90s. From Perry Fewell using the package to help the New York Giants match up against their NFC East rivals, to Rob Ryan unveiling a three-safety defense to take advantage of burgeoning superstarKenny Vaccaro, the big nickel package is en vogue and will be a major part of defensive game plans this fall.
Given some time to reflect on what I know about the scheme and what I've gleaned from studying the All-22 Coaches Film from the 2013 season, here are a few thoughts on one of the hottest defensive trends heading into the new season:
What is the big nickel package?
Every team in the NFL utilizes a traditional nickel package (five defensive backs instead of the four featured in base defenses) as a way to better defend against the pass. Typically, an extra corner will come on to replace a linebacker and will align in the slot to match up with a receiver or tight end.
In a big nickel package, the defensive coordinator will instead bring on an extra safety who acts as a hybrid linebacker/cornerback. While the nickel safety is also assigned to cover tight ends and receivers in the slot, he is a more effective run defender and possesses the size, strength and length to match up with the league's increasing number of big-bodied, pass-catching tight ends. Thus, the coordinator has a better option for defending opponents who prefer to play "12" personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) as their primary offense. See examples below:
Ace-open formation:
Ace-wing formation:
From a schematic perspective, the use of big nickel allows defensive coordinators to add a variety of wrinkles to their exotic sub-package schemes. Teams will use the traditional 4-2-5 (four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs) or 3-3-5 alignments and personnel packages, while also mixing in some 2-4-5 and 1-5-5 tactics to befuddle quarterbacks at the line of scrimmage.
In the screengrab below, the Giants are aligned in a 4-2-5 version of their big nickel to match up with the Philadelphia Eagles' double tight end package:
The New Orleans Saints used a similar 4-2-5 big nickel package against the Dolphins to handle Miami's empty formation. Vaccaro is aligned as the nickel back with the deep safeties (not pictured) positioned in a two-deep shell off the screen:
Next, the Kansas City Chiefs are aligned in a 2-4-5 nickel defense with safety Eric Berry dropping down over the Y (tight end):
And finally, the Arizona Cardinals are technically in a dime defense with a 2-3-6 front, but I wanted to illustrate how the clever utilization of safety Tyrann Mathieu (red box) over the slot in an exotic front clouds the picture for the quarterback, which leads to a sack:
With three safeties on the field, it becomes tougher for the quarterback to identify potential rushers from the second level. The constant movement and deking creates confusion at the line of scrimmage, leading to blown protection calls and misreads in the passing game. The big nickel package is also effective against the run, due to the presence of better athletes near the line of scrimmage. The overall speed and quickness of the defense improves with more defensive backs on the field, and safeties -- more so than most cornerbacks -- are comfortable playing in the box and taking on blockers due to their role in eight-man fronts on early (running) downs. As a result, this defensive package is more effective overall against certain formations, making it a worthwhile gamble for defensive coordinators.
Why are more teams expected to play big nickel this season?
The pass-centric nature of the NFL is leading more defensive coordinators to put their best 11 athletes on the field. Thus, teams are removing a lumbering linebacker (middle linebacker) and replacing him with a dynamic safety who is effective against the run, but a better defender in coverage.
Looking at some of the most-explosive offenses in football, the presence of a dominant hybrid tight end is critical to their success. Teams like the Denver Broncos (Julius Thomas), New England Patriots (Rob Gronkowski), Eagles (Brent Celek and Zach Ertz) and Saints (Jimmy Graham) feature versatile, big-bodied athletes at Y (tight end) or H (H-back/"move" tight end) in spread and empty formations, creating a list of problems for the defense.
Allow me to provide a few examples of how crafty offensive coordinators are positioning these dynamic pass-catchers ...
In the following screengrab, the Saints are in a traditional spread formation with the Y (Graham) in the No. 3 position. This is the easiest alignment for defensive coordinators to handle with nickel personnel:
In this next play, the Saints are aligned in a 2x2 spread formation with Graham (Y) positioned on the outside. Placing him on the outside allows quarterback Drew Brees to quickly determine whether the defense is playing man-to-man or zone coverage by identifying which defender matches up with Graham:
Notice below how the Patriots have a linebacker covering Thomas on the outside. This is an obvious mismatch in the Broncos' favor, which is why Denver features so many spread formations with the "Y" on the perimeter:
Lastly, in the next screengrab, the Patriots are aligned in an empty formation with Gronkowski positioned in the slot. The outside receiver motions into a stack alignment, which forces the defense to loosen coverage on Gronkowski to better defend against pick or rub routes. Similar to the Graham play above, the stack alignment forces the defense to declare whether they are in man or zone-based coverage:
Given the challenges of defending hybrid tight ends, defensive coordinators are better served pitting an athletic safety with corner-like cover skills against a big-bodied pass catcher. Safeties are quick enough to run with these types of tight ends down the seam, while also possessing the athleticism to battle on post-ups and 50-50 balls in the red zone.
Most importantly, the presence of a hybrid safety on the field gives a defensive coordinator the freedom to use man or zone coverage without tipping his hand prior to the snap, which is a huge win for the defense.
What are the core characteristics of a hybrid safety?
The ideal hybrid safety for this package is a hard-hitting defender with corner-like cover skills. He needs to possess the agility and quickness to shadow slot receivers, while also displaying the strength to battle big-bodied tight ends between the hashes. It's not a coincidence that many of the top hybrid safeties played cornerback in college or early in their pro careers before transitioning to safety.
Who are some of the ideal big nickel safeties in the league?
I recently ranked the most dynamic safeties in the NFL, and, as one might expect, many of those defenders possess the unique skill set to play the big nickel position.
After revisiting that list, I believe Aaron Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, Kenny Vaccaro, Antrel Rolle and Eric Berry are ideal candidates to perform as designated playmakers in big nickel schemes. They all have terrific coverage skills, as well as the instincts, toughness and awareness to be factors against the run. In addition, they are effective pass rushers capable of blitzing from the second level.
The recent run on hybrid safeties early in the draft points toward the increased importance of the position. Teams recognize the value in having a versatile nickel defender on the roster to play a variety of roles in sub-packages. Rookie safeties like Lamarcus Joyner, Jimmie Ward and Terrence Brooks were drafted specifically to play as nickel defenders; don't be surprised if their respective teams deploy more big nickel packages this season.
Final Thoughts
Although teams routinely have attempted to use the traditional nickel package to slow down the basketball-like athletes thriving between the hashes, the size disparity between tight ends and slot cornerbacks has given the offense a significant advantage in the passing game. Thus, defensive coordinators increasingly will rely on three-safety defenses in order to pit long, rangy defenders over the slot.
Additionally, placing safeties near the box has helped defenses slow down the shotgun running game that teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills featured with outstanding success last season. With spread and empty-back sets becoming a mainstay of numerous offenses, expect to see defenses turn to their big nickel packages more often this fall.
Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.
- By Bucky Brooks
- NFL Media analyst
- Published: Aug. 8, 2014 at 02:51 p.m.
The best defensive coordinators in the NFL are willing to step outside of the box to develop effective strategies for defending the hottest offensive trends. From crafting exotic zone-blitz schemes to using a variety of unique personnel packages to neutralize the opponent's No. 1 weapon, astute defensive play-callers aren't afraid to deploy unorthodox tactics to put their teams in the best position to win.
During my time as a defensive back with the Green Bay Packers, I had the opportunity to watch defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur work his magic on the blackboard each week, designing clever schemes to slow down the opponent. One of the ideas that he used to help the Packers field the NFL's top-ranked defense in 1996 was a unique nickel defense that featured three safeties (Eugene Robinson, Mike Prior and LeRoy Butler) on the field simultaneously. Although it wasn't unusual to use five defensive backs on obvious passing downs, Shurmur's willingness to play Butler -- Green Bay's starting strong safety -- as a nickel back allowed him to deploy his best defensive back in coverage on tight ends and slot receivers, while also using him on blitzes off the edge. The strategy helped the '96Packers hold opponents to just 13.1 points per game and total 26 interceptions against only 12 touchdown passes allowed.
Fast forward to 2014. Defensive coordinators searching for effective solutions against the spread-formation run game and the hybrid tight ends dominating the NFL are resorting to big nickel tactics that mimic Shurmur's ingenious scheme from the mid-'90s. From Perry Fewell using the package to help the New York Giants match up against their NFC East rivals, to Rob Ryan unveiling a three-safety defense to take advantage of burgeoning superstarKenny Vaccaro, the big nickel package is en vogue and will be a major part of defensive game plans this fall.
Given some time to reflect on what I know about the scheme and what I've gleaned from studying the All-22 Coaches Film from the 2013 season, here are a few thoughts on one of the hottest defensive trends heading into the new season:
What is the big nickel package?
Every team in the NFL utilizes a traditional nickel package (five defensive backs instead of the four featured in base defenses) as a way to better defend against the pass. Typically, an extra corner will come on to replace a linebacker and will align in the slot to match up with a receiver or tight end.
In a big nickel package, the defensive coordinator will instead bring on an extra safety who acts as a hybrid linebacker/cornerback. While the nickel safety is also assigned to cover tight ends and receivers in the slot, he is a more effective run defender and possesses the size, strength and length to match up with the league's increasing number of big-bodied, pass-catching tight ends. Thus, the coordinator has a better option for defending opponents who prefer to play "12" personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) as their primary offense. See examples below:
Ace-open formation:
Ace-wing formation:
From a schematic perspective, the use of big nickel allows defensive coordinators to add a variety of wrinkles to their exotic sub-package schemes. Teams will use the traditional 4-2-5 (four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs) or 3-3-5 alignments and personnel packages, while also mixing in some 2-4-5 and 1-5-5 tactics to befuddle quarterbacks at the line of scrimmage.
In the screengrab below, the Giants are aligned in a 4-2-5 version of their big nickel to match up with the Philadelphia Eagles' double tight end package:
The New Orleans Saints used a similar 4-2-5 big nickel package against the Dolphins to handle Miami's empty formation. Vaccaro is aligned as the nickel back with the deep safeties (not pictured) positioned in a two-deep shell off the screen:
Next, the Kansas City Chiefs are aligned in a 2-4-5 nickel defense with safety Eric Berry dropping down over the Y (tight end):
And finally, the Arizona Cardinals are technically in a dime defense with a 2-3-6 front, but I wanted to illustrate how the clever utilization of safety Tyrann Mathieu (red box) over the slot in an exotic front clouds the picture for the quarterback, which leads to a sack:
With three safeties on the field, it becomes tougher for the quarterback to identify potential rushers from the second level. The constant movement and deking creates confusion at the line of scrimmage, leading to blown protection calls and misreads in the passing game. The big nickel package is also effective against the run, due to the presence of better athletes near the line of scrimmage. The overall speed and quickness of the defense improves with more defensive backs on the field, and safeties -- more so than most cornerbacks -- are comfortable playing in the box and taking on blockers due to their role in eight-man fronts on early (running) downs. As a result, this defensive package is more effective overall against certain formations, making it a worthwhile gamble for defensive coordinators.
Why are more teams expected to play big nickel this season?
The pass-centric nature of the NFL is leading more defensive coordinators to put their best 11 athletes on the field. Thus, teams are removing a lumbering linebacker (middle linebacker) and replacing him with a dynamic safety who is effective against the run, but a better defender in coverage.
Looking at some of the most-explosive offenses in football, the presence of a dominant hybrid tight end is critical to their success. Teams like the Denver Broncos (Julius Thomas), New England Patriots (Rob Gronkowski), Eagles (Brent Celek and Zach Ertz) and Saints (Jimmy Graham) feature versatile, big-bodied athletes at Y (tight end) or H (H-back/"move" tight end) in spread and empty formations, creating a list of problems for the defense.
Allow me to provide a few examples of how crafty offensive coordinators are positioning these dynamic pass-catchers ...
In the following screengrab, the Saints are in a traditional spread formation with the Y (Graham) in the No. 3 position. This is the easiest alignment for defensive coordinators to handle with nickel personnel:
In this next play, the Saints are aligned in a 2x2 spread formation with Graham (Y) positioned on the outside. Placing him on the outside allows quarterback Drew Brees to quickly determine whether the defense is playing man-to-man or zone coverage by identifying which defender matches up with Graham:
Notice below how the Patriots have a linebacker covering Thomas on the outside. This is an obvious mismatch in the Broncos' favor, which is why Denver features so many spread formations with the "Y" on the perimeter:
Lastly, in the next screengrab, the Patriots are aligned in an empty formation with Gronkowski positioned in the slot. The outside receiver motions into a stack alignment, which forces the defense to loosen coverage on Gronkowski to better defend against pick or rub routes. Similar to the Graham play above, the stack alignment forces the defense to declare whether they are in man or zone-based coverage:
Given the challenges of defending hybrid tight ends, defensive coordinators are better served pitting an athletic safety with corner-like cover skills against a big-bodied pass catcher. Safeties are quick enough to run with these types of tight ends down the seam, while also possessing the athleticism to battle on post-ups and 50-50 balls in the red zone.
Most importantly, the presence of a hybrid safety on the field gives a defensive coordinator the freedom to use man or zone coverage without tipping his hand prior to the snap, which is a huge win for the defense.
What are the core characteristics of a hybrid safety?
The ideal hybrid safety for this package is a hard-hitting defender with corner-like cover skills. He needs to possess the agility and quickness to shadow slot receivers, while also displaying the strength to battle big-bodied tight ends between the hashes. It's not a coincidence that many of the top hybrid safeties played cornerback in college or early in their pro careers before transitioning to safety.
Who are some of the ideal big nickel safeties in the league?
I recently ranked the most dynamic safeties in the NFL, and, as one might expect, many of those defenders possess the unique skill set to play the big nickel position.
After revisiting that list, I believe Aaron Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, Kenny Vaccaro, Antrel Rolle and Eric Berry are ideal candidates to perform as designated playmakers in big nickel schemes. They all have terrific coverage skills, as well as the instincts, toughness and awareness to be factors against the run. In addition, they are effective pass rushers capable of blitzing from the second level.
The recent run on hybrid safeties early in the draft points toward the increased importance of the position. Teams recognize the value in having a versatile nickel defender on the roster to play a variety of roles in sub-packages. Rookie safeties like Lamarcus Joyner, Jimmie Ward and Terrence Brooks were drafted specifically to play as nickel defenders; don't be surprised if their respective teams deploy more big nickel packages this season.
Final Thoughts
Although teams routinely have attempted to use the traditional nickel package to slow down the basketball-like athletes thriving between the hashes, the size disparity between tight ends and slot cornerbacks has given the offense a significant advantage in the passing game. Thus, defensive coordinators increasingly will rely on three-safety defenses in order to pit long, rangy defenders over the slot.
Additionally, placing safeties near the box has helped defenses slow down the shotgun running game that teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills featured with outstanding success last season. With spread and empty-back sets becoming a mainstay of numerous offenses, expect to see defenses turn to their big nickel packages more often this fall.
Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.
Blue and Gold
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The Big Nickel is a great defense! It allows a team to be super flexible and versatile without having to sub players in. Our Big Nickel can be special because we have two players that can play that hybrid role in TJ and Barron. An offense will potentially have a hard time determining which player is the SS and which is the LB on any giving play. I'm pretty excited to see Barron on this defense after a whole off season with the team.